Ramblings

Ahhhh so.......I'm bored. It's 9:53 pm and I'm physically exhausted from the last couple of days. Too tired to go out so after I made a few phone calls to Eva and my parents I came upstairs to my room, flopped down on the bed and almost instantly became bored as hell. Bored and itching like crazy from a new batch of mosquito and sand flea bites that I have no idea how I got with all the deet I use or even when. I do know bout this damn itch though because it's the crazy kind that u want to scratch until u bleed. Nursing training and my mother however sit on my shoulder together and keep telling me not to scratch.....so I don't.....but OMG do I want too. At the moment it would be wonderful to be pressure washed or ran over with a steam roller with a sandpaper wheel.

When I get home I know I'm going to be culture shocked for a while. Even things like fast food make you ill because you have detoxed your body of all the secret sauces and trans fats and preservatives. Mainly though it's four things that are almost unbearable when I get home. The first thing that immediately freaks me out is just how MANY people are everywhere. There are people on top of people on top of people back home. There are people in Utila to be sure but not so many that you can't just feel alone or at least un-sardined. Secondly....all the people back home move so fast. There is a billion people and they are all rushing to do something, somehere. In Utila I can spot the newbie right away, by how fast they walk. No one walks anywhere or for that matter does "anything" fast in Utila. It's too damn hot for one thing but the people realize that when u finally get to where you want to be....it'll be there...it's not running from you. Everything is extremely slow in Utila and I wish we emulated that back at home. Stop the rush, slow down, talk to your neighbor.....enjoy yourself. The third thing that will undoubtedly have me shaking my head is the rules. There are more rules back home then people. No shirt no service, no dogs, don't sit there, be quiet, take a number. Rules exist to help protect us I know. Rules enforce boundaries, are in place for safety or courtesy but here on this little island very few actual rules or laws exist. Courtesy is just how you should act and people here do it without thought. I've yet to see a traffic accident even with scooters and four wheelers and pedestrians all sharing the same narrow road. There are no true building codes that I can see, no stay here's, don't touch that's.....and it works. I think laws were to simplify things for people but over time it has instead just simplified THE people. We have allowed our laws and rules to take the place of common courtesy and decency and people at home walk around all day with scowls or being rude or worse...oblivious ...to anyone around them. How nice to have fewer rules and even fewer needs for them. Lastly, volume will shock me. Not music volume... cause anyone here can attest that the thump of music at night...coming from any club in Utila just about rivals a jet at takeoff. Volume of goods, of choice is what I'm talking about. I will just about bet that I can fit every shop and bar/restaurant in Utila....inside one Wal-mart super center. A store may have 5 boxes of cereal...not even 5 choices but 5 boxes in entirety. At home we have a cereal aisle approximately 2 miles long. Our meats and vegetables, canned and dry goods, even bottled water is lined out with choice after choice. Having so much is nice, though I think it contributes to our very wasteful western ways. The bigger issue ...to me...is that we are all so used to it, that we are supremely spoiled. We don't appreciate much. Especially just how damn good we have it when it comes to choices. We buy big, waste without paying it mind and can restock any time of day or night. Utileans tend to buy smaller portion sizes, waste less.They are much more conscious of what they buy and when they buy it. Don't get me wrong...I like buying pound size Hershey bars at 3am but I wonder if when a Honduran visits the U.S. if they are just a little taken aback and maybe even confused over what has to seem like the most pompous display of food and goods on the planet.

This certainly wasn't intended as a gripe season about our wonderful country. It won't take long and I'll be right back into the swing of things, rushing about, forgetting to be courteous, bitching because they are out ( for the moment) of family gigantic size jars of Jif peanut butter. It would be nice though if I could bring a few of these ways back home so we could remember them, because surely it was that way once for us as well. Before the multi conglomerates and the banks took over, before everyone had to try so hard to simply stay afloat in such a busy, dog eat dog country. I love home but anytime you are fortunate enough to travel to another country and experience it rather then just resort hop, it will stay with you. Every so often pulling you back.

 

On reflection however please let me say... that being able to actually flush toilet paper though is...in itself worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Viva' USA!!!